Cruising

Tall Ships Coming to the Great Lakes

The American Sail Training Association (ASTA) is teaming up with the environmental organization Great Lakes United to bring a fleet of international tall ships to American’s heartland.

As part of this summer’s Great Lakes United Tall Ships Challenge 2010, the fleet will race through all five Great Lakes, making port appearances in cities in both the United States and Canada. Specific stops will include Toronto; Cleveland; Bay City, Michigan; Duluth; Chicago and Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Throughout the event, organizers and participants plan to focus on two main initiatives: water conservation education and youth sail training.

Despite their enormous size, the Great Lakes are, in fact, a fragile ecosystem, highly vulnerable to environmental degradation. Coincidently, and despite their own enormous size, tall ships represent one of the most sustainable forms of transportation in the world.